"John?"
"Yes, Tia?"
Artemesia sat in her brother's office that afternoon. Since he refused to get up from his desk for a minute, she decided to bring her tea there instead.
"What may cause a sudden change in someone's behavior?"
The shuffling of paper paused as Jonathan looked up from his work, brows knitted, "Pardon?"
Artemesia stared into her teacup, "I said, what may cause a sudden change in-"
"I got what you said. What I mean is, where did that come from?" He cut her off.
She sighed, "Just answer the question, John."
He sighed, and rubbed his chin, thinking.
"Hmm. It would depend on who the person is, as well as patterns in their behavior or habits."
"Let me rephrase," she tried again, "what would cause a man to change his behavior so drastically in a short span of time?"
Jonathan nodded, "Ah, I ca-" He froze.
Artemesia raised a brow.
"Why, exactly, are you asking me this?" he asked in an accusatory tone.
"Because... are you not a man?"
"No, who is the man you speak of?"
Artemesia hesitated, "Someone... I was observing."
He gave a quiet ah, nodding in response. His sister was the type to do that.
"Well, even so, 'men' is just an umbrella term. I would still need to know his mentality and other things. But a logical and common possibility is that his ego was wounded, or he felt mocked in some way."
Artemesia hummed, lost in thought.
"Would that explain him suddenly going on the defensive, pushing the offender away and weaponizing status?"
"Absolutely," the man agreed as his focus settled back on his work.
"Hm." She sipped her tea, the refreshing fragrance of chamomile calming her senses.
. . .
"That is the most random thing I have been asked today."
"Just answer me."
"Why on Earth would I know?"
Leander was on the verge of throwing his sister out of the window, but he needed to extract the knowledge he required before doing so.
"The only thing I'm asking you is, when does a woman start getting comfortable enough to touch a man freely?"
"Who knows what you're going to do with that information?!"
"I did not ask you for an Imperial secret, for the Lord's sake, Thalia!"
Thalia groaned. "Okay fine, I'll answer you. But first, what do I get in return? As far as I know, you haven't even prepared anything for my birthday yet."
Leander gulped, "What do you mean? Don't make false assumptions."
"Oh? Have you prepared something then?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Because you need answers from me, and there's no other woman you can go to." Thalia smirked.
Leander shot her a dirty look, "You are not the only woman. I have Mother, Nanny, and..."
"And? You can't even think about asking them something like this."
"Oh please. It's not even that explicit."
"How about you try asking them then?"
He rolled his eyes, then sighed. "Okay fine, You answer me, I answer you."
"Fine. You first."
"No, you."
"Nope, you. I'm older."
"Ugh, you're so irritating!" Thalia whined. Leander grinned, knowing he had won.
She sighed dramatically, then took a moment to think. "Well... I suppose it's when she starts getting comfortable enough with the man specifically."
"Just how comfortable, exactly?"
"Hmm... how should I put this..." she paused for a moment, finding the words.
"Like, he becomes like a brother to her."
A moment passed.
Dead silence settled in the room.
A cold bead of sweat ran down Thalia's forehead. "...Lee?"
Leander was frozen, staring into the abyss. "...A...brother...?"
. . .
"Has Mother departed safely?"
"Yes, John, do not worry unnecessarily," Artemesia sighed, shaking her head, "you'll get premature gray hair."
"Don't nag me," Jonathan muttered, "Mother does enough of that."
Tia laughed, "Well, let me take on that responsibility for today."
"Well, too late. I'll be leaving in a minute too. Have fun nagging yourself." He announced, as a nearby maid helped him with his jacket.
Artemesia exhaled, watching her brother getting ready to leave.
"When will you be back, exactly?"
"Why, do you miss me already?"
Artemesia narrowed her eyes, "Enough with the sarcasm,"
Jonathan laughed, "Alright, alright. In a few days."
"Hm. Alright. Travel safe."
A while later, Artemesia returned to her chambers after bidding her brother farewell. A lot of work was left to be done, since Jonathan would soon be succeeding their Mother as the Head and Duke of Montclair. As much as he hated relying on others, he gave some of his workload to his sister to handle. There really was too much to do.
Just as Artemesia slumped on her chair and started to sink into the ledgers, there was a knock at her door.
"I'm here, dearest!" The door burst open and two figures strutted into the room.
Artemesia tore her eyes from the paperwork, preparing her sharpest glare... but found herself unable to deliver it.
"Florence! Julian!" she melted into a smile immediately, rising from her seat.
Her best friend stood in the doorway, beaming, while her fiance stood in front of her table, arms spread wide.
She chuckled and approached him, as his arms circled her waist and pulled her in.
"My dear Ari, how have you been?"
Artemesia frowned, "I'm fine, and how many times should I tell you not to call me that?"
"Oh come on, don't kill the mood." Florence interceded. "We heard your family departed, so we're here to make sure you aren't lonely!"
"You shouldn't have..." She stared at them with fondness and muttered anyway, "Thank you."
"Julian, you should've just told me to send a carriage for Florence."
"Huh?" He blinked, confused.
"Didn't you pick her up? The Ashthorne Estate is quite out of way for you." Artemesia remembered.
"Oh. Yeah Um, I just saw her in downtown and explained the situation. I was the first one who got the news that the Duchess and Lord Jonathan were leaving."
Artemesia made an 'oh' sound and nodded. That made sense.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go down and have some tea."
The mood quickly shifted again, as Florence squealed, "Oh I can't wait to eat that lemon tart again!"
Tia chuckled, "I'll have the chef prepare some right away."